1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to method, system, and program for a database driven workflow management system for the automated creation and delivery of customer output and, in particular, output material based on customer input.
2. Description of the Related Art
Direct mail printers and printer software allow a user to generate and print marketing materials tailored for different customers. Many systems have a database of customer information and merge the customer information from the database into customer marketing material forms that are then mailed or otherwise distributed to the customer. Typically, the marketing material forms have variable fields into which the customer information is inserted from the database during the process of merging the forms with the database data.
The effectiveness of a direct mail marketing campaign can be significantly improved by customizing the content of marketing materials to each customer's needs and situation. Existing and potential customers will more likely pay attention to marketing materials that appear to directly address issues that are pertinent to the customer. Likewise, customers will tend to ignore marketing materials that include information that is irrelevant to the their needs and preferences. Thus, computerized direct mail marketing methods continually seek to provide ways to further customize direct mail marketing materials to the specific needs and desires of customers.
One current problem with customized mail marketing is that substantial human intervention is needed to gather the customer information and prepare the generated customized marketing material for distribution. After the files are generated they are typically printed, then placed in an envelope. There can often be a considerable lag time between the time customer information is gathered and the customized materials are generated, then mailed to the customer.
Delivery of non-customized marketing material can occur instantly, and is sometimes transmitted via facsimile or electronic mail. However, for the reasons discussed above, non-customized marketing material is not as effective a marketing tool as customized information.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved system, method, and program for generating and delivering tailored marketing materials to existing and potential customers.